Reparations
by GeekLoveFan
Summary: Harry and Ginny had a grand total of one fight in the process of planning their wedding. It was only one, but it was a doozy. And it was over a single name on the guest list: Draco Malfoy. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

There had been a grand total of one fight in the wedding planning. Harry couldn't help but chuckle at this fact; everyone said that if a couple could survive planning a wedding, they could survive anything. And the fact is, he and Ginny had had a blissfully easy go of it. There had been no disagreements.

Except for one.

There had been one fight. But it was a doozy.

Said fight was over the guest list. The Dursleys? No. Harry had, in a rare passive-aggressive display, told Ginny he wanted to send an invitation to Dudley and Dudley alone. In this way he would invite the one surviving family member who he felt had actually grown to feel something for him, while simultaneously snubbing his horrid aunt and uncle and _also_ letting them know that he had found happiness. Ginny thought it was brilliant.

No, this fight, which raged long and hard, was over the addition of a single name to the already-lengthy guest list.

The name was Draco Malfoy.

"Absolutely not," Ginny had said immediately. Harry had expected nothing less.

"Gin," he said, placatingly, "I've invited every single other auror-in-training. It would be terribly rude to exclude him, and I think it would be a nice gesture—an effort to…build bridges, so to speak."

It was known to all, of course, that Draco had very publicly repented of his Death Eater ways, even going so far as to testify against his parents—particularly forcefully against his father—at their trials. Most of those closest to Harry believed that Draco had only done so for the immunity—to save his own hide. Harry believed that, too, at first, until Draco showed up on the first day of Auror training. He had greeted Harry humbly, his eyes lowered, with a low, "Morning, Potter," as he extended his hand. Harry had shaken it somewhat doubtfully, but he had to admit that Draco had done absolutely nothing in the intervening weeks to make Harry doubt his sincerity. He had been quiet, humble, and studious in the course of training. He ate by himself in the Ministry cafeteria during meals and kept quietly to himself off to the side during breaks in physical training. Draco had not sought Harry out to talk about things, and Harry had not yet been able to bring himself to go to Draco. But he could tell that something had changed.

None of this seemed to hold any weight with those around him. Molly was tight-lipped when informed of Harry's wish that Draco be invited. Arthur simply narrowed his eyes, and Harry suspected that his disapproval was perhaps not as great since he worked at the Ministry and would be privy to chatter about Draco's change of attitude. But nonetheless, he looked skeptical.

Ron and Hermione were a different story. Harry winced as Hermione shrilly reminded him of the number of times Draco had called her Mudblood during their times at Hogwarts. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before quietly offering, "Hermione, I know. Believe me, I haven't forgotten. But I also haven't forgotten that he didn't give us up to Bellatrix when by all rights he should have, and I know for a fact that he had to sit through hours and hours of interviews—or maybe we should call them _interrogations_ —with Kingsley after he asked to be an Auror before Kingsley agreed. Surely that's worth something."

The argument went on for days. Ginny said very little after her initial protest, and that worried Harry more than anything. He finally went to her and took her by the elbows. "Please," he said imploringly. "Let me invite Draco. I doubt he'll even accept, but I need to mend fences. I need it desperately, Gin. Please. For me," he finished, a pleading look on his face.

Ginny stared at him. After all he had been through in his 18 years, could she really deny him this one request? Harry's instincts had always been spot-on, as far as she was concerned. Surely Draco wouldn't ruin their wedding. 'No,' she thought to herself, 'it's not Draco I'm worried about. It's everyone else.' But she swallowed that thought and forced herself to smile. "Okay, Harry," she said gently. "If it really means so much to you, go ahead and add him."

The grin she received in return was worth the price of admission, she thought to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I forgot to include this at the start of the first chapter, but I just wanted to note that this is my very first HP fanfic, though I'm definitely no FF newbie. I am, however, officially the very last person on the entire planet to jump on the HP bandwagon, which I find endlessly amusing. The first book was published the year I graduated high school, and now that we've all jumped on this train, my entire family (me, husband, all 3 kids) are pretty obsessed.** **This is actually the second story I started work on, but it is the first to be ready for publishing, so here it is. This chapter is short, but the next is much longer. Thanks for reading.**

Of all the things in the world that could have changed Ginny's and Hermione's minds about Draco, it was a beer that did the trick.

Specifically, a Muggle beer.

The wedding was over, Harry and Ginny were official, and the reception had been going on for a couple of hours. Harry was laughing with Ron and George and Ginny was dancing, albeit a bit drunkenly, with Hermione, when she spotted Draco at the far end of the tent. He was standing alone, watching the proceedings with a small smile, and holding a bottle of beer. Her eyes narrowed as she zoomed in on the bottle. Because there would be several Muggle guests at the wedding, Harry had taken the liberty of ordering some Muggle beer and spirits along with the regular supply of Butterbeer, Firewhisky, and other drinks from the wizarding world. The bottle in Draco's hand was identical to the ones she had already seen Dudley and Mr. Granger drinking from. She hadn't heard of it, but she was assuming it was a Muggle beer. "Hermione," she said in a low voice, "what's Guinness?"

Hermione looked around, trying to figure out why Ginny was asking. "It's a Muggle brand of beer. My dad likes it," she said, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Ginny stopped cold, wondering if it could really be true—had he changed? For a person like Malfoy, with a history of Pureblood mania, to deign to drink a Muggle beer—that was significant. That said something. "Ginny!" Hermione hissed, trying to get her attention. "Why are you asking?"

Ginny nodded toward Draco. "Did you ever think you'd see the day when Draco Malfoy would drink a Muggle beer?"

Hermione's eyes widened as she followed the path of Ginny's eyes. For once in her life, she was speechless.

"Harry," Ginny said in a low voice, trying to get his attention. Harry glanced over at her. Ginny nodded once again in Draco's direction. "Take a look at what Draco's drinking." Harry looked over and his eyebrows rose up considerably. He gave Ginny a look that clearly said, ' _I told you so,_ ' and stepped over to whisper in her ear that he was going to go say hello.

Ginny watched him go, a contemplative look on her face. She had a feeling that Harry and Draco were about to have A Conversation. She just hoped it would end well.


	3. Chapter 3

As Harry broke away from Ron and George and began to slowly make his way over to Draco, he took the opportunity to really look at him. Draco had a small smile on his face as he watched the revelers dance, and his eyes looked kind, unlike, well…pretty much every time he'd ever seen him in their entire time at Hogwarts. There was a subtle melancholy there, though, one that Harry wasn't sure anyone else would have picked up on, due to their preconceived notions. But Harry was a forgiving person by nature, inclined to look for the best in people, and somehow, he saw it. He began to get an inkling that the war had damaged Draco as much (or nearly as much) as it had damaged Harry. It had damaged them in different ways, sure, but they were both damaged just the same.

Harry closed the distance between them and Draco looked at him. Harry stuck out his hand. "I just wanted to say thanks for coming, Draco," Harry said with a smile. Draco gave him a sort of tentative smile and stuck out his hand to shake Harry's.

"Thank you for inviting me," he said quietly, looking down. "It was unexpected and," he hesitated for a second before looking back up at Harry, "very kind." He cleared his throat and mumbled, "Though I don't know why that should surprise me at this point," with a small laugh.

Harry breathed out a quick laugh and grinned. There was an awkward moment before Draco cleared his throat. "Umm, Harry," he began hesitantly, his eyes darting around, looking anywhere but at Harry, "I've been trying to figure out how and when to say this, and I suppose now's as good a time as any," he cleared his throat again before pulling his head up and looking Harry straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry. For everything." Draco held out his hand to Harry and Harry could see just what it cost him to make that gesture. Slowly, Harry took his hand and shook it, firmly.

"Water under the bridge, Draco. What do you say we make a joint decision to leave the past in the past?" Harry said with a smile. It took an effort to say this; as magnanimous as he was, it was difficult for Harry to just let entirely go of the past and all of the roles Draco had played in it. However, he could see clearly that this particular Slytherin was truly making an effort, and he could only imagine what that must be like for someone like Draco Malfoy, so he was inclined to cut the man some slack.

Draco dropped his head and shook it slightly as he gave a wry laugh. "Damn, Harry, you sure know how to make a man feel like a lesser man. Why are you so generous?" He held his head back up and his eyes twinkled a bit as he laughed, and then he turned serious once more. His eyes narrowed in curiosity and he tilted his head to the side. "Why did you save me in the Room of Requirement that night?"

Harry stared at him soberly. "Why didn't _you_ out us to Bellatrix that night in Malfoy Manor?" he asked. Draco closed his eyes, suddenly looking tired.

"I didn't want any part of it," he said quietly, almost as if to himself. He steeled himself to continue, but something happened then that left Harry quietly shaking his head in wonder and amusement. Out of nowhere, Ron appeared, holding four shots of firewhisky.

"Looks like a serious conversation," he said. "Thought you two blokes could use a bit of this," he said with a small grin. "Malfoy," he nodded before turning away and rejoining the others. Harry laughed quietly. Ron was apparently one of those thick-headed gits who is as dim-witted as can be until it _really_ counts, and then hits it out of the park in an occasional stroke of brilliance. Draco laughed as well, and Harry could tell that the same thought was running through his head.

"Weasley has his moments," Draco said, looking down, shaking his head and grinning. He looked back up at Harry and took a deep breath. He began to speak and then he held up a finger and picked up one of the shots and knocked it back. Harry grinned and followed, wincing as the hot liquor burned down his throat. Draco continued. "The thing is, Harry," he said haltingly, "when you are conditioned through your entire childhood to believe one single thing, and it's the only perspective on life you have, it's difficult to shake that. And even if you find yourself _wanting_ to reject those beliefs, you still doubt yourself. After all, your parents are the ones who taught you everything you know of life, and come on, how can you doubt your parents? They love you the most and surely you can trust them, right?"

Before he could stop himself, Harry said, though not unkindly, "I wouldn't know."

Draco closed his eyes and dropped his head a bit. Harry was right and he wanted to kick himself for speaking without thinking.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. Opening his eyes once more, he continued. "See, Harry, my whole life, all I'd heard was continuous rhetoric about purebloods, purebloods, purebloods. I'd been conditioned—even brainwashed, you might say—into believing that I was superior to others, that anyone who wasn't pureblood was inferior and deserved to be wiped out." He paused. "It sounds so ridiculous looking back on it now—I mean, even if one buys into the idea that Muggles are inferior to those who are magical, why should it matter whether those witches and wizards are pureblood, half-blood, or Muggle-born, so long as they are magical?" Draco shook his head regretfully and Harry saw him glance Hermione's way. "But magical or not, people are people," he said quietly. "In fact, now that I'm able to look at it clearly, with no other influence," Draco looked up at Harry and finally looked completely confident in his own words, "I'd say that those of us in the magical world actually have a _duty_ to Muggles, to keep them safe." He finished with a small shrug and a smile. "I don't expect anyone to forgive me—or even to believe that I'm sincere. But I wanted to join the Aurors as a sort of penance. I'll never be able to change the past or what I did," Draco said quietly. "But I want to try to make a difference going forward—keep it from ever happening again."

Harry was stunned. He started to open his mouth, to try to find something to say, but Draco held up a finger and plunged ahead, as if afraid to stop talking now that he'd started.

"Anyway," he rushed on, "by fifth or sixth year, I was starting to have some doubts. I was questioning the things I was being told and I was beginning to be unsure about the plans my parents were a part of. I tried very hard not to let it show outwardly, but the truth is, on the inside, I was beginning to get very scared. And then The Dark Lo—" Draco stopped himself, squeezed his eyes shut, and sighed tiredly. " _Voldemort,_ " he said pointedly, "ordered me to kill Dumbledore." Harry swallowed hard, surprised by the rush of emotions that slammed into him. Draco continued, "I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to do it, but I was terrified. I knew Vo—Voldemort would torture or kill my parents and me if I didn't go through with it. But by that point I'd begun to see reason. I knew Dumbledore was blameless. In fact, the thought of killing him was even more horrifying because I felt like he was the only person standing between Voldemort and total domination, and I already knew I didn't want to live in that world. But you see, I was still bound by my parents." Draco swallowed hard and gave a small smile as he spotted Ron making his way over with two more shots of firewhisky. "Thanks, Mate," Draco ventured, earning a raised eyebrow and a "No problem," from Ron in return. Draco picked up the remaining shot from Ron's first trip over and downed it. Harry did the same.

Draco closed his eyes at the burning sensation and swallowed before continuing. "The fact of the matter is, I wanted out. And slowly, I started to realize that it wasn't simply a matter of wanting _out_ —I was actually starting to root for you." He gave a wry smile. "After all of the hatred I'd thrown at you, I found myself hoping against hope, deep inside, that you really _were_ The Chosen One." He said the last three words in a sort of playful teasing voice, as he knew Harry loathed that title. Harry couldn't help but allow a small grin. "So there was no way I was just going to offer you up on a silver platter to that bitch," he spat with disgust. "And to be honest, although I was still at the point of feeling a strong dislike for Hermione, I was terrified for her, being Muggle-born. I didn't know what they would do to her." He checked himself. "No. I knew what they would do to her, but I didn't know how prolonged or extensive it would be, and by that point, I'd just…seen enough torture and death," he said wearily. "I was desperately trying to figure out if there was any way to help you all without giving myself away, but luckily, I didn't have to worry about that." Draco paused, and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry about Dobby," he whispered.

Harry felt a lump in his throat as he thought about the sweet elf who had saved them. He was trying to think of something to say in response when Draco continued.

"Minister Shacklebolt has since explained to me everything that went on with the Order of the Phoenix and Professor Snape." His eyes snapped open and he met Harry's eyes with a firm look. "I will forever be grateful to Professor Snape for what he did for me—and for you." Harry closed his eyes, the memory still raw. "If I had been the one to actually do it, I don't know if I could have ever forgiven myself," Draco said quietly.

"So, to answer your question, Harry," Draco continued as Harry's head snapped up, "I was trying to find a way to buy time at Malfoy Manor. Time for you, time for me, time for everyone. I didn't sell you out to Bellatrix because if they knew for sure it was you, they would have summoned him immediately, and it would have been all over. You had no wand. You're a brilliant wizard, but you wouldn't have stood a chance, and though I'd have been loathe to admit it at the time, I was hoping that…in the end…." Draco paused, swallowing hard, "you'd win."

Harry stood there, stunned, unable to form words. Draco smiled wryly. "So do you want to tell me why you saved my ass in the Room of Requirement?"

Harry paused, thinking. "You…you saved us from Bellatrix. In particular, you saved Hermione," Harry said, glancing over his shoulder at his best friend. "I had some small inkling that perhaps you weren't as fully committed to Voldemort as you would have had others believe. And either way," Harry shrugged, "It's just not in my nature to do something like that. I couldn't leave you to die in Fiendfyre." Harry shuddered at the thought.

"Thanks, Mate," Draco said quietly. "I didn't deserve it, but I appreciate it." He looked down for a moment, then looked up once more. "Congratulations, by the way. You and Ginny make a beautiful couple and you both deserve happiness." Harry was caught off guard by the genuine smile on Draco's face. Draco continued, "I'm thankful you're a generous and forgiving bloke; in that vein, may I offer a toast?" He nodded toward the two remaining shots of firewhisky with a smirk.

Harry grinned and picked up his shot glass. Draco followed suit and lifted his own. "To Harry and Ginny Potter—the Boy Who Lived and the Woman Who Keeps Him in Line," Draco grinned, eyes twinkling.

"Indeed," Harry added, laughing heartily.

Harry and Draco drank.

Draco lowered his shot glass thoughtfully. "Umm, Potter," he said carefully, "how do you think it would go over if I was to go talk to Granger?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest," Harry answered apologetically.

Draco gave a wan smile. "I'm not worried about her telling me off—I just don't want to make a scene at your wedding."

Harry shook his head, hard. "No, she wouldn't do that. As long as you didn't do anything to provoke her—which I can see you obviously won't—she would be courteous at the very least." Draco nodded, appearing to be steeling himself for the encounter.

Harry took the opportunity to nod at the beer Draco still held in the hand that hadn't been tossing back shots. "That's what did it, you know," he said with a sly grin. Draco looked at him questioningly. "Draco Malfoy drinking a Muggle beer," Harry laughed, his eyes twinkling. "Either you've genuinely changed or the Apocalypse is upon us all."

Draco was laughing now, too, his eyes full of mirth and his countenance a tad less melancholy. Harry clapped him on shoulder and said, "Come on, let's go talk to our friends and then really get this party going." Draco gave that small smile of disbelief once more. Harry Potter really was a most unusual wizard.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry and Draco slowly made their way over to where Hermione was standing with Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Dean, Seamus, and Cho.

The group looked up, eyes guarded, as the duo approached. "Hey, guys," said Harry with a smile, letting everyone know that Draco was to be welcomed. Draco ducked his head and gave a hesitant but warm smile to the group.

"Hermione, could I talk to you for a moment?" Draco ventured. Hermione's eyes widened and she nodded hesitantly while Ron's eyes narrowed. Draco rushed to reassure him. "Don't worry, Ron. I simply owe her an apology and want to deliver it to her." To his great surprise, Ron only nodded in response. After what Bellatrix had put Hermione through, Draco didn't blame Ron for being wary.

Draco took Hermione gently by the elbow and guided her a few feet away so they could speak in relative privacy. He took a deep breath and with his eyes cast downward, said, "Hermione, I neither expect nor deserve forgiveness or pity after all I've done. But I want you to know that I do know I was wrong, and," his voice faltered for a moment, "I'm deeply remorseful for all that I have done and said over the years, to everyone, but particularly to you."

Hermione was astonished. He had called her by her first name twice now, and she could not recall another time in all the years she had known Draco that he had done so. And on top of that, an apology. She was, in a rare occurrence, rendered speechless, but it mattered not, as Draco was stumbling ahead with his apology.

"Blood status is irrelevant and I was a fool to have bought into what I'd been taught for all those years," he mumbled, ashamed. "I'll say only this in my own defense—it was all I had ever known until we started Hogwarts, but to my discredit, even after I began to see reason, it still took me too long to act." He swallowed hard. "I know that many, if not most, people believe that this is all an act—an effort to avoid punishment—but it's not," he added firmly. He then looked Hermione dead in the eyes and said, "I mean every word of this. You're an incredibly powerful and knowledgeable witch, Hermione. You didn't deserve anything that I—or anyone else, for that matter—threw at you." He glanced down sorrowfully and gently touched a single finger to the barely visible remnant of "Mudblood" on her arm. Then he closed his eyes tightly and unbuttoned the sleeve of his dress shirt and rolled it up, exposing his Dark Mark. Eyes still closed, as if it was painful to behold, he said, "I'm not going to try to have it removed. I keep it covered up most of the time because I can't stand to look at it, but people should know who I am. And I should never forget who I _was_ , though I'd like to," he finished with a wistful smile before rolling his sleeve back down.

Hermione softened instantly. She had to admit that she was convinced of his sincerity. She knew that the old Draco Malfoy—the Pureblood maniac who had loathed her so absolutely—could never have said those things even if he _had_ only been trying to avoid punishment. He could have played a public role and delivered public apologies, but there was no way he could have said all that he just did. It just wasn't in his nature. She was still at a loss for a really appropriate response, so she gave him a sly grin and said, "Have you been Imperiused? You can't _really_ be Draco Malfoy. He would never say such things."

She was gratified when Draco burst out with a laugh at her words and then clapped his hand over his mouth, a little embarrassed. His eyes were twinkling and Hermione genuinely felt like her soul had been soothed a bit. Her sly look softened and she quietly said, "Seriously, though—thank you so much for that, Draco. It really means more than you know, and yes, I do believe that you mean every word of it. Let's just put it all behind us and move on, what do you say?"

Draco shook his head, still grinning, at her magnanimous words. "That sounds great," he offered. "I don't deserve it, but I'll be happy to take it." Hermione gave him a bright grin.

OoOoO

Harry stood behind Ginny, holding her close with his arms wrapped around her waist as they talked to their friends. Ron kept glancing over at Draco and Hermione with a protective and still slightly wary look in his eyes. In a low voice, Harry was filling the group in on what Draco had said to him. They listened, rapt, while Harry finished his story, following it with a reassertion of Draco's sincerity. He was gratified that the group seemed to seem somewhat more accepting this time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Draco roll his sleeve up to show his Dark Mark. He could see that Draco was making some sort of point or explanation, and it reminded him of something else.

"Guys," Harry said urgently, "he also keeps his Dark Mark wrapped in an athletic bandage at all times during Auror training—doesn't he?" He looked toward Seamus, Dean, and Neville for confirmation. They nodded slowly.

"He rarely says a word, keeps his head down, works his butt off, and keeps to himself," Seamus confirmed.

Neville simply added, "It's true. It's absolutely nothing like being back at school."

Harry had seen Ron's eyes flash visibly with anger when Draco touched Hermione's arm, so he was thus relieved when even Ron seemed to accept this new assessment of their former nemesis. He wasn't watching Hermione quite so protectively anymore.

At that point, Draco and Hermione both grinned, Hermione touched his arm gently, and she turned back toward the group. Draco started to follow, then paused, looking pensive. Harry looked at him, wondering if Draco was hesitant once again about joining the group, then dismissed the notion. There was something else bothering Draco. He gently kissed Ginny's neck and as she turned her head, he communicated with his eyes and a nod of his head that he was going to speak with Draco again. Ginny just smiled and nodded silently.

Harry approached Draco, making sure to keep his countenance friendly and welcoming. "Something wrong?" he opened with no preamble.

Draco gave him a wistful smile and then looked down at the ground. He cleared his throat and then looked up, his eyes searching the partygoers for someone. Once they honed in on his target, Harry followed his gaze. Without looking at Harry, Draco said, "What do you think? Will she allow me to speak to her? I've never met her, but I've seen some pictures that my mum had hidden away." Draco swallowed hard. His voice sounded strained as he added, "And since I no longer have a mum, I thought it might be good to get to know her." Under his breath, he added, "I'll never understand why that bitch didn't get more than a year in Azkaban."

Harry's breath caught in his throat at the animosity in Draco's voice as he spoke of his mother. He looked at Andromeda and Teddy and steeled himself for what he was about to say. He only hoped it wouldn't ruin the newfound friendship he and Draco had established.

After the war, Draco had happily testified against both of his parents in their separate trials. He made his disgust evident by not attending any part of their trials apart from the testimony required of him and their sentencing judgments. He had not attended the victim impact statements. Harry took a deep breath. "Draco," he said. He swallowed, hoping this wouldn't go south in an instant. "You don't need to worry about Andromeda. I know for a fact that she would absolutely love to meet her nephew. But before you go, there's something I need to tell you. Andromeda already knows, but you don't because you only attended a few parts of your parents' trials." Draco gave Harry a skeptical, almost wary, look, and Harry took another deep breath. "I'll be honest, Draco. Your father can rot in hell as far as I'm concerned." Draco huffed out a mirthless laugh, letting Harry know that he felt the same. Harry continued, "But your mum…Draco, I need to be honest, I had a role in her only getting a year in Azkaban." Harry watched carefully as Draco's eyes widened and his blonde eyebrows shot north. Harry held up a hand, signaling, 'hang on a second,' before continuing. "The thing is, Draco, I've been wanting to tell you what your mother did that night, but I couldn't find the right time." No clarification of 'that night' was needed, as Harry could see immediately that Draco understood. Another deep breath, and Harry continued, haltingly, "That night…when I went into the forbidden forest to confront Riddle, um, I had been told that I had to die to fulfill the prophecy and rid the world of him forever." At this, Draco's eyes widened. Harry went on, "So when I faced him, I didn't defend myself. He cast the killing curse, as expected, only something odd happened. Instead of being dead, I found myself with Dumbledore of all people." Seeing Draco's eyes widen once more, he plunged ahead. "We spoke for awhile and he told me that I could choose to go on or go back. I chose to go back. When I came back to myself, I was lying on the ground. And apparently Riddle took some sort of damage when he cast the spell, because I could hear people trying to assist him, and I felt his anger at being offered help. Then he ordered someone to verify that I was dead." Harry looked off in the distance, feeling emotional. "I didn't know who it was until she was there."

Harry felt himself wavering, the tears threatening to overwhelm him. He glanced at Draco and could see that he was hanging on every word of the story. Another steadying breath, and he continued. He suddenly looked Draco dead in the eye and set his jaw, indicating emphatically how important his next words were. "Draco," he said firmly, his voice never wavering, "do you know what your mum did when she got to me?"

Draco only shook his head. He didn't trust himself to speak out loud at the moment.

Harry realized that he was trembling a little. He did what he could to steady himself, then convinced himself to continue. In a very soft voice, he said, "I was terrified. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I knew that anyone who bothered to check would know immediately that I was very much alive. When your mum crouched over me, she started by touching my face, and Draco, I'm telling you, her touch was…" Harry searched for the right word. "…gentle," he said, looking Draco in the eye. Then she ran her hand under my shirt and I _knew_ she could feel my heart pounding. I was petrified." Harry stopped and then looked at Draco with a small smile on his face. "Do you know what she did next, Draco?" Draco shook his head silently. Harry smiled a little and said, "She leaned down next to my head and whispered in the softest voice possible, _'Is Draco alive? Is he in the castle?'_ And at that moment, I knew that she no longer gave a damn about Riddle. Her only concern was getting into the castle to rescue her son." Harry swallowed hard, noticing the tears pooling in Draco's eyes, and fighting his own. Harry lowered his voice. "Draco, I'm not trying to play the martyr card here, and I'm certainly not trying to excuse your mum for many of the decisions she made. But," Harry's breath hitched, "in the end, her only concern was for the life and safety of her son." Harry had pulled his eyes away from Draco, but suddenly stared him back down, his watery eyes penetrating his former nemesis. "My mum was taken from me when I was 15 months old," Harry whispered. "And I was turned over to the most cruel aunt and uncle you can imagine until I was rescued by Hogwarts when I was eleven. Please," he said beseechingly, " _please_ do not underestimate the value of a mother who loves you."

Harry stopped, getting ahold of himself. Draco looked away, trying to clear his eyes of the tears that threatened there. They sniffed simultaneously and then chuckled in sync, as well. With the tension somewhat defused, Harry laid a hand on Draco's shoulder and said, "Listen. I'm not saying I'm the president of your mum's fan club. All I'm saying is that you have a mum who loves you, who realizes she messed up, and in light of that, I did my best at her sentencing hearing to make that clear. I spoke on her behalf because I figured no one else would. And it was clear to me that she was all you had left. And despite our prior…" Harry chuckled, "ahem… _issues_ ," (at this, Draco chuckled as well) "I wouldn't wish what I went through on anyone," Harry shrugged. "I had the feeling that you weren't completely in Tom's corner, and I thought if I could somehow help you reunite with your mum someday, then testifying in her defense at the sentencing was a worthwhile price to pay." Harry paused, looking down. "I'm not saying she was a perfect mum or even necessarily a good one. But it was clear to me that she loves you more than anything, and I couldn't deny you the chance to see her again. I hope you'll forgive me if that's not what you want," Harry said softly.

Draco swallowed hard, his gaze averted to the side, looking off in the distance as he tried to gather himself. Slowly, he looked at Harry and nodded firmly, not trusting himself just yet to speak. He held up a finger, indicating he wanted Harry to give him a second. After a moment or two, he took a deep breath and said, "Thank you for telling me that, Harry."

Harry could see Draco struggling with his emotions. "I'm sorry to spring something so loaded on you at a time like this, but if you want to talk to Andromeda, I thought you should know. She knows what happened that night and she wants nothing more than to reconcile with her sister. So, simply put, I thought you should know, too. Maybe when the year is up, your family can start to heal," Harry said hopefully.

Draco nodded hesitantly, hoping against hope that what Harry said was true. Without a word, he clapped a firm hand on Harry's shoulder, not trusting his voice, and walked off toward his aunt.


	5. Chapter 5

Draco approached his aunt cautiously. Despite Harry's assurances, he was nervous about how he would be received. As he reached her, he smiled shyly at the little boy in her arms.

"Hello, Aunt Andromeda," he said hesitantly, his eyes still cast downward.

"Draco…" she breathed, and when he looked up in surprise, he was astonished by the warmth shining from her eyes. She shifted Teddy to her left hip and slowly reached out for her nephew. Feeling equal parts delighted and awkward, Draco leaned into her embrace, closing his eyes as he settled his chin on her shoulder. He felt his aunt gently snake her free hand up to the back of his head and hold him close. After a moment, she released him with a sniffle, and Draco was shocked to see tears streaming from her eyes. She gave him a watery smile and said with a wistful smile, "You look so much like Cissy…except for the hair," she chuckled.

Draco smiled sadly. "I'm glad to meet you, finally," he whispered. "My mum had a few pictures of you hidden away where my father wouldn't be likely to find them, but the topic was forbidden. It took me a long time to piece together who you were." He swallowed hard and looked down. "I'm so sorry about your husband and daughter."

Andromeda's eyes filled with fresh tears, and she looked down at the young baby on her hip. She took a shaky breath and lifted her gaze back up to Draco. "Thank you," she murmured. "And thank you for what you've been doing." She glanced toward Harry. "Harry has had a lot of good things to say about the way you've changed since May."

Draco blushed, feeling a strange mixture of pride and shame. "It's the right thing to do—making reparations when you've been responsible for so many terrible things," he muttered, staring at his shoes.

Andromeda clenched her jaw and inwardly cursed her brother-in-law for turning Draco into the repentant, shame-faced young man who stood before her. With her free hand, she reached up and took ahold of his chin, pulling his face firmly up until she was staring directly into his eyes. "Now you listen to me, Draco Malfoy," she said, her voice steely, but her eyes full of love. "Your mother married your father and made the choices she did because it was what was expected of her. It's what the Black family does. While I don't condone her decisions, I do understand them. I can tell you, better than anyone, how terrifying it is to rebel against generations upon generations of expectations, knowing you will lose everything you've ever known if you do. It's not an easy thing." She paused, tearing up as she remembered the day she told her parents she was marrying Ted Tonks. The echo of " _Then you're dead to us, Andromeda,_ " was something that would forever rattle through her head. Despite the fact that she had no regrets, it had still been horribly painful. "But Draco," she continued, "you were just a child. You were doing what you'd been taught and conditioned to do, and the important thing to me is that in the end, you chose to do the right thing, despite the fact that Voldemort was _camped out in your house_! Harry told me about you not giving them up to Bella. That's not a small thing, Draco. In fact, it's quite a big thing. And I know that a lot of the decisions you made were with the goal of protecting your parents. That's true bravery."

Draco smiled in spite of himself. "Next you'll be telling me I should have sorted into Gryffindor," he grinned. Andromeda just raised her eyebrows and gave him a look that he interpreted as, ' _perhaps you should have.'_

But she said nothing for a moment, and then finally, she gave Draco an appraising look and said, very seriously, "The best way you can honor their memories, Draco, is to make sure they didn't die for nothing—and that Teddy can grow up in peace, not having to worry about being the product of two half-bloods."

Draco blinked against the sudden wave of emotion and nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet. He reached out a finger for Teddy to grab, and after a moment, asked shyly, "Would it be all right if I held him?"

He was surprised when Andromeda began to hand the baby over with no hesitation. He panicked briefly, having never held a baby before, but after a few seconds and some quick adjustments, he felt surprisingly comfortable with the weight in his arms. A slow smile spread across his face. "Aunt Andromeda," he began—

"Please. Call me Andi, Draco," she interrupted.

"Okay. Andi," he started again, "I don't intend to ever see my father again, and it will be nearly a year before my mother is out of Azkaban. As you know, I have no siblings." He swallowed, nervous. "Would it be okay if we kept in touch?"

Andi softened and her heart went out to the boy. "Of _course_ it would be okay, Draco. In fact, I would love it. I missed out on seeing you grow up, and it seems to me that you're turning into a fine young man despite your upbringing. And besides," she winked, "I'm not as young as I used to be and I'll need a baby-sitter for this little guy from time to time," she said, nodding at the bundle Draco held.

Draco grinned—a wide, genuinely happy grin this—as he looked down at little Teddy. His own aunt had murdered this sweet boy's mother, and he was determined to be a fixture in Teddy's life now that he knew Andi would permit it. He nodded, wetness threatening his eyes once more, and looked up at his aunt gratefully.

oOo

A few yards away, Harry looked placidly at his godson in the arms of his former nemesis. He was still holding Ginny, but she was laughing at some remark Seamus had just made, and hadn't noticed Harry's preoccupation with the scene playing out between estranged aunt and nephew. As Harry watched a wide smile spread across Draco's face, he couldn't help but grin himself. There was a lot to work through still—for all of them—but for the first time he had the feeling that Draco was going to be just fine.


End file.
